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1.     I think the purpose of education is to guide students to become independent critical thinkers, who are well rounded members of society. Education should provide opportunities that inspire students to an area of interest. Ultimately, students should graduate with an understanding of how to be a better thinker, and person, rather than contain specific learned knowledge from courses that are of no interest to the student. This is because as teachers we need to be realistic in what we are doing for our students. I do not believe we are truly getting students to deeply understand the specifics of plate tectonics or carbon sequestration, for instance. Instead, we are building relationships, and teaching students how to be respectful, caring, kind, empathetic, and hopefully inspired by at least one thing from their education.

2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to cram knowledge into students’ brains. This is because teachers are pressured by the set curriculum to get students to understand the material as soon as possible, while also trying to get high test scores. I do not think people have great perceptions of education because generally high school experiences aren’t super positive for people in this country. Therefore, people aren’t going to think there is a real benefit to teachers being able to do their job the way they want to do it.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to allow students the opportunity to gain the tools required to achieve their goals, while also instilling values that create a well-rounded and kind individual. This is because everyone deserves the chance to attain their dreams. In doing so, we as educators need to not only help students understand what they would like to achieve but help them on their path to success. While getting to know our students on this journey, it is also our responsibility to help them understand their actions, allowing them to better understand themselves. If we foster these types of relationships, we should have the ability to help our students make the right choices. This does not mean the right choice in a college or career, but in doing right by others and themselves.

1. I think other people think the purpose of education is to have the opportunity and knowledge required to be successful in the corporate world.  This is because in my experience, many parents including mine at points in time, believe that to be a successful person, you need to be making a large sum of money. Many people go to work dreading the day, yet they are making a great paycheck. Obviously, money is an important aspect in life, but many prioritize it over their happiness. In doing so, they attain the knowledge they believe will make them successful, but not what they enjoy.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to motivate and encompass all learners. This is because education is a right for all, no matter what the sort of life this learner is living. Education should be a great equalizer amongst society. The motivation in education stems from discovering a passion. This passion could be from a topic or subject that they really enjoy and thrive in. Every learner should have some sort of passion within education in which they want to become a master.  May that be a trade practice passion or a academic passion.

2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to create functioning human beings in society. This is mostly what I think of when I observe a a classroom since the teachers are so focus on students being able to carry out curriculum ideas into the real world. Also the skills that we teach kids are primarily based on being knowledge based productive workers. Schools tend to be an emphasis on students becoming scholars .

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I think that the purpose of education is to provide opportunities for inquiry, critical thinking, and problem solving which will then be established as skills within students.  I also think that education is not all academic in respect to science, math, history, and english and education also helps to create empathetic, emotionally aware, and socially and culturally aware individuals.  This is because people should always be questioning and wanting to know more and to have appropriate information to back up their statements.  When I was in school we were often taught information and it was given as a fact that we never had the opportunity to question or to expand our understanding.  We never asked "What happened to the individuals who lived in the United States before Europeans came?". There were never really discussions on questioning the ethics of certain events since they were events from the past. Science labs were already designed and we never got to ask our own questions and find the answer to them.  Teaching in a way that fosters inquiry, critical thinking, and problem solving provides students with skills that go beyond the classroom and can be used for a variety of reasons.  I think that after the tumultuous year 2020 was, we have seen how important it is to ask questions and look at our sources and it seems that that might be a skill that is lacking for many.  I think that SEL is also very important and creating community members that are socially and culturally aware, inclusive, and compassionate will make them essential members of society (something I think we are also lacking in).
I think other people think that the purpose of education is to teach kids how to recite the alphabet and learn to do basic math (this is more with an elementary education focus) and educators are basically professional babysitters. This is what I have heard before when sharing with people what career path I am following and that my future job as an educator is "so easy" and "anyone can teach a child to do 2+2". They say we are "so lucky to have summers off". I think that many people underestimate the significance of education and now that they know how to read and solve math problems it is a given for them and they forget that the first 3(ish) years of their academic career was learning how to do this. I think that this also causes those that pursue a career in the education field to be undervalued and underappreciated.

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1. I think that the purpose of education is to help people develop the skills to think critically, work with others, and participate in their community. One of the pillars of our society is the differing opinions and the diversity of our experiences. Education is a tool that helps us to understand each other, articulate our own ideas and thoughts, and work together to better our communities. There is a lot of focus on the individual in the education system, but education benefits the society as a whole.

2. I think other people believe the purpose of education is to be the best, to go to the best schools, to get the best job, to make the most money. While I know there are many people that believe in the collective good of education, there is a strong push to be successful. The common view of success is often discussed in terms of monetary value and job status. I have heard many of these thoughts echoed by students; they feel the pressure to get into the best high schools in order to go to the best colleges, in order to be successful. It puts a lot of stress on students, and makes education unenjoyable for many.

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I think the purpose of education is to equip students with the skills that they will need to live in the 21st century and pursue their goals. This is because the world is changing more rapidly than ever and today’s students will be required to navigate complex individual and societal challenges in the future. A well “educated” individual will be able to make wise and effective decisions based in truth and logic.

I think other people think the purpose of education is to learn academic content. This is because many assessments require students to memorize facts that are typically only useful within an academic setting. Outdated curriculums may focus on material that is no longer relevant or appropriate for a more modern and diverse world.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to activate the minds of young students and to understand the world around them. This is because by the end of a school experience I hope students have a solid understanding of the world they live in and can have the skills that will lead them to a happy and fulfilling life.
2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to ensure society as a whole can be educated and self sufficient. This is because education is viewed as something successful people have.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to develop a person's critical thinking and sense of identity to the betterment of society. I think that education should nurture compassion and collectivism, and focus less on test results and more on growth - tests don’t truly show a student’s intelligence, but their ability to rehearse information.
2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to create productive workers to further capitalism. Structurally, primary and secondary education is meant to teach marketable skills that are useful to corporations, specifically in STEM fields and literacy. Rather than encouraging self expression and radical thought, students are taught to be good test takers, and not to challenge authority.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to give people the opportunity to be a part of society by providing them with the tools that allow them to do so successfully. This is because providing a well-rounded education allows students to discover different options and choose where they’d like their place in society to be. Without education people are likely to develop as individuals within the context of their home life – this means that they will not acquire skills outside of what is known in their home and they may not learn to function well among a group. Both of these things are important for creating a base for a successful and meaningful society.

2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to set children up for their future job. This is because we use testing to streamline students into particular classes and levels. Students are constantly being asked what they want to be when they grow up. Once students reach high school they are expected to have a career path in mind and choose elective classes that match their goals. The pressure on educators to produce intelligent workers is apparent.

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I think the purpose of education is to empower students to believe in themselves and their power to make change in the world. It is our job, as teachers, to provide them with the tools to do so. This is because the world has so much going on that needs to be changed, from environmental issues to politics, and students want to make the world a better place. Part of this is helping students become productive members of society so that they put themselves in positions to make change as adults.
Another purpose of education is to help students become well-rounded people. This is because students should learn about important issues from different perspectives so that they can interact with people from all over the world and be well-versed in a variety of topics.

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1. I believe that the purpose of education is to cultivate a holistic human through academic, professional, and social-emotional skills development. One who is guided by a teacher to be able to think critically and with a justice-oriented framework. I also believe that the objective of education is to develop in our students a love of learning and curiosity, as well as to teach them to be lifelong learners. Learning is a struggle, but it can be a beautiful and worthwhile struggle if you shift your thinking. Education, in my opinion, serves the objective of addressing the gaps in support, knowledge, and skills that youth do not have in their everyday lives, as well as making society more equitable.Through different instructional strategies schools have the opportunity to provide youth with the necessary confidence, skills, and habits to navigate spaces such as schools, colleges, professional environments, and personal relationships. As well as empower students to become agents of change in their community through an understanding of their identity, systems, institutions and historical legacies.

2. I believe that others believe that the purpose of education is to create those who are able to adapt and fit themselves appropriately to society’s expectations of what a “good citizen” is. One who is a worker, obedient, and one who supports the “nation” in whatever it does. This is based upon the fact that students are valued based on how well they behave in the classroom, how much they attend and participate in school regardless of their needs. As well as the content we teach and evaluate students is all based on the output they achieve rather than the mastery they have over the subjects. Students have to achieve all of this in a quick manner rather than a timeline that works for them. In schools we are also taught history and content that promotes the nation state and doesn’t allow us to think critically about the inequitable policies we have and how they hurt and impact different groups. School to others is a continuation of the hierarchical structures we already have in a society and we teach our students that they must find and choose their place in society. When rather, there really is no choice and society already dictates where our place is.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to prepare students to go out into the world and be good people. This is because when teachers are teaching different subjects, while they are teaching specific content, they should also be teaching life lessons that students can use for their whole lives. I think it is naive to think that a student is going to use every single piece of information taught to them in high school once they leave, but I don't think that it is naive to think that these students can apply the values and life lessons taught through education for the rest of their lives. I think this idea of teaching students how to be good people also goes hand in hand with teachers being good role models for students. If a student sees their teacher treating everyone with kindness and respect, they can learn more than just the subject that teacher teaches from them.
2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to have students getting the highest grades, getting high scores on standardized tests, and getting into top tier colleges. This is because society puts a lot of pressure into kids who are "smart" and schools to produce these "smart" kids. Schools are always competing for funding and a lot of incentives come from high test scores and high GPAs. This aspect of just focusing on the grades a student gets overlooks and undermines a lot of students who are struggling and teachers who are trying to help every student but the administrators are just looking at them to produce high grades.

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1. I think the purpose of education is to remedy hate. This is because I believe hate comes from ignorance and ignorance can be helped by education. I think the world would be a much kinder and productive place if everyone was able to invest in learning and educational experiences that broadened their minds.

2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to ultimately make a lot of money (relatively). This is because the focus of education in the United States seems to be checking boxes that will (1) get you into a “good” college; (2) get you a "good" job. These values were relayed to me in the many times I was told my Anthropology degree was pointless because it wouldn’t make me any money (not wrong). The objective seems to be superficial success rather than developing a holistic individual and community.

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1. "I think the purpose of education is... This is because..."

2. "I think other people think the purpose of education is... This is because..."

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1. I think the purpose of education is to create a well-rounded, civically engaged, and community-oriented person. This is because our society is increasingly divided & atomized, making it difficult to solve collective action problems (e.g., climate change & inequality). I believe K-12 public education should be about nurturing the values & skills it takes to collaborate with others in a pluralistic democratic society, rather than focusing mostly on individual goals.

2. I think other people think the purpose of education is to create "college and career-ready" persons. This is mostly what I remember hearing as a student and teacher at the high-school level. Secondary ed tends to focus on academics (e.g., grades, tests, subjects), esp., those that supposedly build useful professional skills (math, reading and writing). The lack of attention given to "non-academic" life subjects (e.g., human relations, finance, self-discovery, community) makes me think schools are designed as factories to create "productive" workers.